PhysicsWallah IPO: ‘Others Taught The Elite, But We Focused On…,’ Founder Pandey On Edtech Firms’ Misreading

Edtech firms misread their audience and chased a small set of high-paying students, according to PhysicsWallah founder Alakh Pandey. He said demand exists, but companies focused on a narrow, elite group and left most learners unserved.

Speaking to NDTV Profit, Pandey said, “Everyone in this space targeted a handful of children and charged Rs 80,000 for a course. Our goal was different—we wanted to educate all of India, especially the 97% who don’t have the paying capacity. That’s why we priced our courses at Rs 4,000.” The comments set up PhysicsWallah as a contrast to the approach he attributes to others in the sector.

Pandey said affordability, a community-led approach and strong social media engagement drove PhysicsWallah’s outcomes. “None of these edtechs, leave edtech, even consumer tech brands, have the kind of social media presence we do. We teach for free on YouTube, and students who experience our content often convert to paid learners because they trust the quality.”

He said the company expanded from basic classes to features including doubt resolution, polling, notes, homework, video solutions and performance analysis. “We keep improving the learning experience,” Pandey said.

According to the founders, PhysicsWallah teaches over 45 lakh students annually, with 42 lakh in online courses. They said these students pay an average of Rs 3,600 per year for live learning aimed at exams such as IIT-JEE, NEET, UPSC and CA.

Co-founder Prateek Maheshwari said the issue is positioning, not demand. “Online learners are increasing. The problem is with positioning. Most platforms tried to capture the top 5% of India. We positioned ourselves for the remaining 95%.”

As PhysicsWallah prepares for its IPO, the founders said they will continue to push access. “We’re not just building a company, we’re building a movement. We want every child in Bharat to have access to a good teacher,” Maheshwari said.